The Flinders Ranges, South Australia
Dramatic scenery, big skies, ancient mountain ranges, abundant wildlife and historic country towns; the Flinders Ranges offers plenty of potential for great pictures. Trish Radivo advises that you set aside plenty of time if you want to see it all.
There are brilliant photographs to be had wherever you look in the Finders Ranges, so it’s a case of managing your time and being ready for every opportunity. Trish Radivo provides our on-the-ground guide.
Once a year, I go on a photography adventure with a small group of friends. This year we went to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, situated about 200 kilometres north of Adelaide. It was my first visit to the area, and I was stunned by both the vastness of the area and the dramatic beauty of the scenery.
We stayed in a cabin at Rawnsley Park Station around 35 kilometres north of the town of Hawker, overlooking the southern side of Wilpena Pound. Rawnsley Park has three areas where you can stay, depending on your budget. There’s a caravan and camping section, the cabins and some eco villas. Rawnsley Park Station suited all our needs – the cabin was self-contained and air-conditioned; the toilet and shower block were always clean. The camp kitchen is very big with a TV and lots of tables, and there is a pool with a spa so you can cool down at the end of a hot day. Rawnsley Park is also home to The Woolshed Restaurant.
There is a lot to do on the property itself, including some great look-outs and walks. We also had a scenic flight over the Flinders Ranges with Chinta Air which we booked at Rawnsley Park Station.
The flight took off from Rawnsley Park Station so we were able to pick the time we wanted and chose 7.00am in the morning, as this was recommended for the quality of the light.
The Flinders Ranges is an absolute outback experience and it is a must-visit location for anyone who likes landscape photography. We visited in January, and since it gets very hot in this part of South Australia during the summer months, some places aren’t open. Consequently, it’s important to thoroughly check out the areas you want to visit before you go. We were aware that some accommodation wasn’t available during this time, and on our adventures we came
across locations that were basically ghost towns, as many of the residents go to the coast for the summer.
TAKEN BY STORM
If you are planning a visit to the Flinders Ranges, the best time of year to go is in spring as you will see all the wild flowers and, importantly, activities and accommodation will all be open, including the Pichi Richi Railway line which runs from Port Augusta.
We witnessed an awesome storm on the third day we were in the Ranges, which created some fantastic photo opportunities. The heavy, brooding sky looked amazing and the Ranges changed in colour throughout the day. There are many look-outs available on the drive around the Flinders Ranges, and I would suggest that you stop at all of them. My favourite is the Stokes Hill look-out, which provides incredible 360-degree views.
Wilpena Pound offers many walks of varying duration, some of them up to seven hours for the return trip. We walked the Homestead walk, which was just beautiful and well worth the effort. This walk is actually a pretty easy one, and there is a bus which will take you to a drop-off point so you can then walk the rest of the way to the homestead. There is so much wildlife around, so be prepared for the many opportunities for capturing photographs of birds, kangaroos and emus.
We did many of the scenic drives around the Flinders Ranges, stopping many times for photographs. The roads are well maintained and good to drive on, but there is also the option of
going with a guide. There is so much history in this area and many ruins to photograph.
We drove from Rawnsley Park Station to the town of Blinman. We then took another road, the Parachilna Gorge Road, to Parachilna. This road does not have any warnings sign-posted other than dips, crests and windy, but I would advise against driving it without an all-wheel or four-wheel drive vehicle as there are many dry creek beds to cross and, after the storm, many of these creeks had water in them, while quite a bit of debris had washed onto the road and parts of the road were damaged. Nevertheless, this road is still definitely worth the drive, as the scenery along the way is incredible.
BIG SKIES
We also travelled to towns outside the Flinders Ranges, including Quorn and Hawker. Hammond and Bruce are ghost towns worth visiting for their photographic potential. The vastness, the sky and the colours are truly amazing – the sunrises and sunsets are worth making the effort, while the contrast between the blue skies and red earth is visually dramatic.
We did our touring mainly through the north and central parts of the Ranges. You should allow at least five days to cover just this area, as there is so much to see. We had some very long days, getting up at 4.30am for the sunrises, touring and or walking throughout the morning and into the afternoon, then waiting out the rest of the day for the sunsets.
Sacred Canyon is also definitely worth the drive, even though it is along a gravel road for approximately 33 kilometres. You walk through a dry creek bed and, at the end, you’ll find some stunning rock formations and aboriginal art. The aboriginal art is best photographed in the soft light of early morning or evening, and the rock formations best photographed during late afternoon so that the sun brings out all the colours.
For getting around, we used the Flinders Ranges Adventure Guide by Ron and Viv Moon. This book contains loads of useful information and a history of the area so it’s great for planning your day out. There is a $10 entry fee per vehicle which covers you for the whole area for the whole time you are there.
If you are planning a visit to the Flinders Ranges, try staying for at least a week as it’s impossible to cram all this beauty – and the numerous photographic opportunities – into just a few days.